Ashen wings
by Maryowl Wheeler
Summary: Gorse is a hot mud puddle and Cynda is a dream, both threatened by forest fires, caused by a mystery. Hera Syndulla is the pilot of an old PB4Y-2 privateer, refurbished for aerial firefighting and Kanan Jarrus wants nothing more than to catch her heart. An Earth AU set in the fire season of 2001.


This story is a bit different than my normal ones. Its based on real aircraft that use to run out of the airport just out side of my home town. tankers 121, 126, 127, 03 and 06(Expedient for this story) and any others that i might add in the later on are all real airplanes run by a company Called H&P that shut down in 2005. ther is plenty of information on all the types of aircraft in this story and even pictures of these specific tankers all over the internet.

As for the story itself, it was based off of Star Wars, A New Dawn. It's an earth version that is supposed to take place during the early 2000s before the tanker crashes of 2002. RIP Crews of Tankers 123 and 130.

Disclaimer, all star wars material and characters belong to disney and lucas arts.

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Kanan had just set the wheels on the landing strip, when he had already gotten the call to get off the runway. It was a busy day today. He'd be running another smoke jumper drop today for sure. It was probably going to be a week or so before he had to shut down his old bird for inspection and the refit. Not that he really wanted to be flying gallons and gallons of retardant but that was the job. He sighed, responding to the call from the tower with nothing but "roger than." When he popped his window and turned for the taxi back to the tarmac. The old flying box car responded to his input with a sluggish but gentle jump in forward thrust. Coming around the corner on to the taxi way, so that the next aircraft could land. He got a good look at it, coming in from the west. An old war bird, quite possibly older than his. Four mighty engines that didn't quite match the aircraft thundering as its wheels unfolded from the undercarriage. He heard the call over the radio, a woman's voice, identifying the tanker and it's heading. Thankfully no one had to tell him to get out of the way.

Turning on to the Tarmac, he brought the E _xpedient_ , back to its patch of tar and concrete right back to where the ground crew guided him, and let the engines idle for a moment checking over everything in his mental checklist before shutting down its twin engines. The quad blades props came to a lazy slow stop in only a matter of a minute. Kanan peeked out the window as the prop noise and engine racket settled down. The ground crew already had a fuel truck over to the plane.

Just based on that, it was going to be a busy day. With all the ash that was in the air, clogging everything. It wasn't often that they were in any rush to get _Expedient_ back up in the air. Kanan sat back in the pilot's seat, pulling off his head set and looking up at the sky. It was hot, and wet, like most days. Just inside the boxcar it was probably 100 degrees if not more. He checked the oil gauge on both engines and the fuel. He sighed again. Looking out the window. "Hey Yelkin!" The man looked up at him, annoyance in his glace. "Engine number two needs more oil. She's still leaking like your mother!" The other man growled at the stab but turned away to give more orders. Kanan went over the rest of his post flight checks and went through his log books. Looking for anything that might be wrong when he heard a slight grumbled from behind him. Okadia, the man who had gotten Kanan the job and who was suppose to be his current copilot, mumbled himself out of sleep.

"We here already?" He asked, pulling himself out of the engineers seat at the back of the cockpit. "That was a quick flight." Okadia was an older fella, the original owner of at least three of the boxcars, and the _Expedient_ herself. "Kanan my boy, how's she looking?" Kanan hummed.

"Port engine is leaking more than usual again, but other than that everything seems to check out. And of course it was a quick flight, you slept the entire way. You have to much confidence in this old thing." As and after thought he added. "And me." Okadia just laughed.

"My boy. I have the utmost confidence in your skills. And as for the plane, she's old, she can handle it. Hopefully the inspections will root out any thing that might be wrong and we can fix it form there. And get her signed off for another year." Kanan nodded, unclipping his flight harness and pulling himself from the chair. He clambered down the ladder and in to the hold. Winding through the crates of powder chemicals and dye that will be turned into fire retardant for the other bombers.

"Alright let's get this unloaded!" He yelled to the men now milling about. He made his way to the back of the aircraft starting to unlatch the large clamshell doors. Others helped as the old hinges creaked and groaned, and the light hit the interior of the aircraft. Kanan rolled his neck. A three hour flight was nothing. He had run much longer flighter for the company in the past, but it had been bumpy, between the natural thermals and the heat rising from all the fires, the turbulence had been relatively Intense, like a whole group of people were jumping up and down in the back end of the plane. Usually it never bothered him, but it had been particularly bad today.

He rubbed his neck and looked up at the tanker passing by. The same one that had rushed them off the landing strip. He didn't recognize it. Must have been one of the larger tankers they called in from Wyoming. The number just behind the bubbled nose of the aircraft reading _121_ in red paint. It's four engines thundering as it rolled past. White paint glittering in the sunlight. It was a nice looking beast. Though there looked like there was some patch work done on it, he assumed the oval shaped pattern on the waist of the aircraft were the remnants of turrets, same with the two circles on the top and belly as well.

"Not every day you see one of those." Okadia said from behind him. "They came all the way from Greybull Wyoming to help us out with the fires, suppose to be two more coming." Kanan looked at the old man, rubbing his scruffy white beard with one hand. "PB4Y-2 privateers. Old sub hunters." He laughed. "Though I can tell ya the engines aren't original." Kanan looked at him. Kanan knew that Okadia's father had fought in World War Two. He knew the older planes by heart. Probably flew a lot of them too.

"Hu…" He hummed "I thought it was a B-24."

"Nope, they had twin tails, and a shorter fuselage. Different engines than what's on that pretty lady." Kanan scoffed at the name. He had one thing right. _Tanker 121_ was definitely a lot nicer than _Expedient._

Kanan watched as the aircraft was guided to the spot on the ramp next to the _Expedient_ and one by one the engines shut down. The fuel truck would be over there next. Kanan was about to turn away when he saw something…

Or some one. The window on 121's pilot side was open, the pilot, a woman, was yelling out the side at someone, he couldn't make out her words over the sound of the engines winding down, but she was unhappy. And Kanan…. Was instantly smitten, that voice. Maybe he couldn't hear what it was saying and maybe she was angry but… "Kanan?" He was broken from his thoughts by Yelkin's voice angry and unimpeded.

"If this is about me insulting your mother, don't bother." The older man stopped just short. Taller than Kanan and far more bulky than the 20 year old man. Yelkin looked like a grizzly bear the way his chest was puffed out, his black hair, sweat soaked and greasy was standing up like horns or ears on his head.

"No ass hole! It's about you cutting me off earlier!" Kanan tilted his head. Yelkin was a flyer too. A line boss. Some one whole called the drops and guided the tankers in over the fires. It was his job to make sure things happened, in the right areas and at the right time.

"Sorry." Kanan mumbled looking over his shoulder as he moved along the side of the box car, walking carelessly, over to look at the second engine. Still leaking oil into the collection pan beneath the R-3350-89a engine that the cowling hosted. It was normal for these things to leak, radial engines were famous for it, but not like this. "Hey guys!" He yelled up to the ground team who were up on the wing, pumping more oil in to the machine. "Do me a favor, peel off the cowling so we can take a look at the valves, it might be a problem there when the oil heats up, it's not as bad on a cooler day and shorter flights." They nodded.

Yelkin was still following him as he crossed over to check on the nose gear. The c-119s were notorious for not dropping their landing gear, thus far they had been able to prevent an incident by routine maintenance, but a belly landing would render expedient permanently out of action. He checked it off, everything looked good there.

"Is that all you have to say, is sorry!" Kanan lifted his fingers up to rub at his temples.

"I had my orders. And you were sitting there. You had plenty of room. And I gave you plenty of time." He huffed "I had a schedule to keep."

"We all do!" Kanan dropped back, Yelkin still walking, almost ran in to his shoulder.

"Look sorry, next time, I'll just run your ass over! You should have been out over that fire far before I was ready to go! And you were in my way. No harm no fowl, there was an opening and I took it. I called in to the tower and they okayed it. If you want to fight go take it up with them." Kanan walked off thinking the fight was over, but there were hairs standing up on the back of his neck. He heard what was going to happen next as he moved for the Starboard landing gear.

Kanan ducked, as a fist hurled past his head. Yelkin struck at him, Kanan being smaller was much faster. Yelkin's first met metal rather than flesh, smashing in to one of the forward landing gear struts. The older man yelped. "Come on man!" Kanan huffed out, stepping back and dodging another flying fist, he reached out and grabbed Yelkin's hand twisting his arm behind his back. "I've got stuff to do. If you've got such a huge problem with me or my bird! Take it up with management!" He let go, Yelkin stumbled forward, Kanan planted a boot firmly in to his ass, smashing him in to the side of the aircraft. "Good talk." Kanan hissed, turning back to the landing gear.

Everything seemed to check out. Even with all the turbulence, the only thing that had been knocked loose today were a few of Yelkin's teeth. Kanan sighed and headed for the door on the side of the box car. He leaned against the door frame and finished writing in his log book…..

That voice, more clear and distinctive, caught him again, he looked up. Seeing her, a woman, maybe even younger than him. He hadn't really got a good look at her before. Bright orange coveralls, brown vest, strikingly perfect skin, emerald green eyes and brown hair tied up in two long braids falling out from under her flight cap and down her back. He couldn't really comprehend what she was saying but, her voice was like silk against his ears. He watched as she moved along the side of her own aircraft, an old man following behind her. "Hera." The old man chortled, the guy looked like he should have been in hospice not flying around in an old aircraft in 105 degree weather. "I told you, engine number three was stuttering!" He wasn't yelling but his tone was grumpy nonetheless. "It's the gasket again! This is the third time we've had to replace it."

"Just relax Chopp it's nothing we haven't done before, we have extras and there's plenty of manpower hear to do it. The pressure will be back up to normal before our next flight. Besides, I'm more worried about what kind of damage that bird caused. I'm going to be scraping that off the cowling for days, especially in this heat.

"I told you not to call me that!" He snapped back. She only shook her head as she went through her checklist.

"Oh... Go cool your oil." She huffed back. "Make yourself useful and find the pilot's lounge." The old man grumbled in response, "I can handle the cool down checks." He hobbled off. Kanan wasn't sure if there were others onboard _121_ other than that old gas can and her, but he was sure he couldn't have been a very good copilot. Kanan shrugged and pulled himself up through the expedients main side door and up the ladder. He heard Okadia, chattering over the radio.

"Ya, that'll just about do it." Kanan checked the gauges one more time as he lissened to the older man talk. "Can you think of anything Kanan?" Kanan hummed in response. But looked up.

"Um ya, that _121_ that just landed, I heard that they needed a repair crew over there,something about their third engine acting up." Okadia nodded and relayed the message, then dropped the head set back on to the head rest of the copilots seat.

"We are grounded until we get out oil situation figured out…" Kanan cursed. "And the inspection crew will be here tomorrow."

"Already? Damn!" Kanan would much rather be up there dropping off smokejumpers than outside in the heat, working on even hotter engines that weren't going to cool down in this sauna. "I guess we better get on it." he gritted his teeth.

"I heard something hit the fuselage earlier, any ideas what happened there?" Something told Kanan the old man already knew.

"Don't be surprised if you find some of Yelkin's teeth stuck in the aluminum." Okadia just laughed.

"Maybe you shouldn't be pissing off the line boss my boy." Kanan smiled. "After all we are going to be a tanker soon. Following him over the fires." Kanan huffed.

"Don't remind me." Kanan turned to look at the old man. Finding him turned toward the window, looking out toward the Privateer. "Missing the old days gramps." He mumbled.

"She is something." He was scratching at his chin again and it was a moment before Kanan realized he was talking about the pilot of _121_ and not the aircraft. "Don't tell me she's the one flying that thing?" Kanan shrugged.

"Well she was in the pilots seat."

"Hu… Well she looks more like a pin up girl who should be painted on the nose. Not in the cockpit." Kanan laughed.

"Ya," he agreed, "it's something isn't it. I think I could count the number of female firefighters we've had here on one hand, let alone pilots." Okadia snorted.

"If only I was just a bit younger." Kanan smacked the old man on the shoulder.

"Oak, you've got kidney stones her age."

"Don't tell her that, I don't want her knowing that I'm too old for her." His joking tone wasn't lost on Kanan and the two of them laughed the younger man shaking his head.

Unfortunately their banter was cut short. "Not this again." Kanan ground, looking out of the window, when they heard an insistent voices.

"Lal I'm tell'in ya!" It was Skelly, one of Kanan's least favorite people, working for one of the larger firms in the area, a smokejumper with an attitude. Short, stout, a pockmarked face and crazy hair, with only one mode, Intense. His voice was enough to set any one on edge. "Someone started that fire on purpose! It's not safe for us any more!" He was following around the head of management, Boss Lal, a hefty African american woman, was running through a checklist, looking only minerly annoyed by Skelly's ranting. "Hey!" He yelled as Kanan dropped off the deck of the airplane and down on to the black top pulling his tool box out with him as he went. "Kanan! Buddy!" Kanan rolled his eyes looking over to Skelly. "He'll tell ya Lal! He's one of your top pilots and one of my old friends!" _Right on one, wrong on the other._ Kanan thought. He stepped up, poking Skelly's in the chest with a finger.

"Tell her what Skelly? No one started the fire, it was the Lightning!" As more of an afterthought he added. "And I'm not your friend!" Skelly, to Kanan's knowledge, didn't have friends. Most just shy away from, hit in the face, or just entirely ignored the nut bag of a smokejumper. Mainly because his voice was just about as grading as 60 grit sandpaper on their ears. He always sounded like he was trying to yell over a barrage

"Nobody ever listens!" He roared, kicking at the tires of the box car. He continued to rant to any one else as Lal turned toward Kanan.

"Heard you've been having some trouble Kanan?" He shrugged, having to focus to hear anything over Skelly's incessant yelling.

"Just an oil problem, we'll have her up and running in no time." Lal nodded. " _Expedient_ is leaking again."

"Well I need you back up in the air, I don't know what they are doing grounding you if that's all the problem is." Kanan shrugged.

"We'll rip off the cowling and check the valves, chances are that's where the problem is." She sighed

"Alright, we'll send the smokejumpers out on _03_ this afternoon. Tankers _126_ and _127_ should be here with in the hour." Kanan cocked his head at the boss.

"You talking about the other two _Privateers_?" He jerked his head toward the aircraft next to his own. She nodded.

Kanan sighed, looking back up at the second engine. They had the cowling half off and he'd lend a hand from below.

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Hera had just finished post flight checks, everything looked good, well except for the third engine but frankly she'd like to wait till the rest of the 4y fleet got here. They atleast knew how to work on the R-2600s that were on _121_. Seeing as those guys couldn't seem to fix the oil leak that was going on with their beater boxcar across the way she didn't trust them with _121_ but she also didn't have the tools she needed. The fleet had planed arriving at the same time, _126_ 's pilot had noted having some sort of problem with the loose waist turret hatch, how that had come loose, no one was sure. But they had set down somewhere before the mountain pass at one of the larger airports she hadn't wanted to deal with the traffic flying in and out and figured it would be more fuel efficient, to just not, and gone on to Gorse. A small town, not much different from her own home town of Greybull Wyoming. Except this place was not only hot, this time of year, but it was also a steaming mud pit. Perfect for thunderstorms and it made it difficult to get any ground access to most fires. The ground may have been muddy but the trees and brushed were still baked in the sun. Making fire season here relatively unpredictable and difficult. Only allowing the use of air tankers, smokejumpers and helicopters.

It was a small base, she had seen four c-119 Flying boxcars from the air as well as a newer _cl-215_ and three _Air Tractors_. They didn't have anything that could really handle a large load of retardant, at least not like a 4Y could and the 215 amphibious aircraft could only haul water, only effective when dumped directly on the fire and the nearest lake was at least a twenty minute flight. Witch made it nearly useless in this case.

Hera stopped for a moment, looking over at the four c-119s that were parked along the ramp, not one of them had retardant stains on their bellies. Not tankers, at least not yet. Though they had the modified dorsal jet engines that she had heard so much about. They definitely had the power to pull out of a run. Weather or not they would stay together…. Looked like another question.

Hera took in a big breath, reaching for the canteen at her side and took a healthy swig of water from it as she walked back over to the ladder leading to the cockpit hatch and clambered up, back into the cockpit and stowed her log book. Hopping down from the elevated seats she slipped through the narrow passageway between the retardant tanks and in to the waist of the aircraft, looking through what tools she had. Not what she needed. She sighed. Pulling herself back up, wiping the sweat from her forehead the pulling off her flight headset and goggles. Back along the valley and back into the cockpit tossing the headset on to the head rest of the pilot's seat along with her flight cap. She wasn't going anywhere for now, much to the dismay, she was sure, of management. The others would have to pick up the slack when they got here, as much as she hated the thought of sitting on the ground.

Hera huffed, looking up at the open hatch, there was no ladder leading back out, and she really didn't feel like hauling herself back up. So instead she jumped back down and on to all fours, crawling through the narrow gap between the panels and along the plank by the forward wheel and out of the well. Just like originally intended. Pulling herself out from under the craft, she stretched and hummed to herself. Looking up at the third engine. "Why are you doing this to me again?" She patted the fuselage with odd affection, before her grandfather came trudging around the corner. Looking as pissed as always.

"Let me know when the rest of the fleet gets here. I'm gonna take a nap." He growled. Hera swore the man could sleep anywhere. One of these days she was just going to find him dead from heat stroke in his hammock at the back of the plane. She nodded, it wasn't like they could do anything now any ways.

"Aye Chopp." The nickname was old, something her dad had started calling him. The old man use to be a helicopter pilot for the air force, combined with that and his rough callus manor had earned him the nickname of chopper. He had not minded, that was until he the crash and he had never got back in to it. Fixed-Wing aircraft were the only way to get him to fly now and even then some time he grumbled. Sounding more like a broken down machine than a man.

Hera huffed out a light laugh And walked over to the group of mechanics who were huddled around the starboard engine of the boxcar, addressing the closest one, a fair haired young man, long hair back in a messy tail, scratching at the tuft of a beard on his chin, wearing a dirty wife beater and the straps of his coveralls hanging around his waist and untucked in to his boots. "Hey fellas?" She got that look from the majority of them, that look that undressed her with every glance. "Where's the pilots lounge, or do you guys just piss wherever?" She rested her hands on her hips as she waited for an answer, the three of them simply just looking at each other. The youngest one, just looked at her with a far off gaze and stumbled over his tongue.

###

Kanan was frozen, was she looking at him? The words bounced around in his head for a moment and his tounge didn't work, "Um…." Was about the only thing that came out. He was too focused on her. She was even more beautiful up close.

"You ok there?" Kanan shook his head as she waved a hand in front of his face and all he could do was point, her eyes following the line to the building. "Ok….. Thanks." She sachaed off, passed the _Expedient_ with a graceful swish of feminine hips. Kanan was still awestruck even when she was out of sight. It was a moment before he realized the others had gone back to work on the plane. He blinked the proverbial hearts from his eyes and spun on his heal, hoping that the others would mistake the redness in his cheeks for him just being out in the heat to long.

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I'm not sure this will be continued, as even though my father use to fly many of the tankers, my knowledge on the subject of both aerial firefighting and flying are very limited. if you guys enjoyed it and would like me to keep writing this please let me know. Also, yes chopper is Hera's grandfather in this, I didn't quite know what to do with him as a human. I think he turned out ok though. also none of the aircraft spoken about in this were ever ment to fly with only a pilot. to fit the story i had to make adjustments.

also just so we are clear and if any of you are old war bird know it alls I do know that the PB4Y-2 did not originally have Wright R-2600 power plants in them. this was a modification done by H&P during their use as aerial tankers. turning them in to what they dubbed as PB4y-2 " _Super Privateers_ ". the originals were Pratt & Whitney R-1830-94 Twin wasps.

Also go check me out on instagram maryowl_mikus. i've got pictures of the aircraft and lots of rebels love there as well

now that the rant about airplane parts is done, please feel free to leave a comment down below and a favorite, let me know if you guys are interested in this little mix and mash of real life and star wars and if you would like me to continue with this little fantasy of mine.


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